Two months ago I did the thing that nobody expected me to do. I am 32 years old. Father of a 1 year old girl, I have a house with a mortgage and a job which payed well. And I quit. It was bound to happen sooner of later. I worked at the same company for 8 years. Doing different things every 1,5 years. I went from being a webdeveloper, support manager, technical manager to product manager and finally an app developer. I have tried a lot of things and found out what I really want in a job. And I wasn’t able to get that anymore from the place I worked. So the decision was easy. I decided within that weekend.
I had a great time working at the company. I learned tons, made a lot of friends and got a lot of support trying out new things. But being part of a projectteam wasn’t going to cut it anymore. My dreams and ambitions are bigger. We grew apart.
I explained this all to my wife and luckily she was very supportive. People around me where shocked. By quitting my job I also resigned my right on government support. If I had been fired instead of quitting the government would have paid me a salary for the next couple of years. Now I get nothing. People call me brave other people call me stupid, some call me both. I have to take care of my people and the economy in Europe is not exactly blooming right now. A lot of people ask if I have found another job or some contract work and are amazed when I tell them I don’t have any. Normally people don’t quit without have some sort of guarantee for work.
I’m excited. And scared. I am on my own. I know my goal. I want to work in a company like Valve, Mojang, Khan Academy, Fog Creek or Github. Places with a hacker culture (or so it seems). Small teams of likeminded people working hard, playing hard to achieve a goal. Unfortunately these companies are all out of reach. I don’t know if i’am good enough to work at any of those companies. But anyway I won’t be able to relocate. My wife is a highschool teacher. See lectures Dutch. And therefore she is bounded to the Netherlands. Not that I regret that, I like living where I live. Having my parents and family close. Above all my family comes first.
Instead of grieving about the fact that I won’t be able to work at one of these companies, I decided to try and build my own. We have some savings that will last us around 4-5 months. We have a sideproject (jufmelis.nl a site I run with my wife for people studying Dutch ) which will grant us another 3-4 months. My plan is to build some low-maintenance projects to generate an extra income. Do contract work as a webdeveloper and appdeveloper and try to build a company from there. The goal is that in 2 years time my small company has grown to a small team, hacking away with nice people in a nice office. Making quality stuff for people. Put a smile on people’s faces when they use our products.
Today is the first of my unemployment. I have given myself 4 months to prove that this plan can work. I truly believe that it can. To be successful I have to get out of my comfort zone. It will be hard, I will hit walls, I will fail at things but hopefully I can make this work. Wish me luck!
57 Comments on this post
Leave a CommentGood luck, I did the same around 1 year ago and it’s been an amazing experience – you just need to find the right people. Make sure you have a plan though, if A doesn’t work you do B and so on. Try to crowdsource if you believe in your idea, contribute to open-source projects on github, be active in the communities.
P.S My team has built two great products so far – AppAware (http://appaware.com/) and Playboard (http://playboard.me/) and it’s been a very rewarding time.
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Ivan
Well done!
I did exactly this when I reached 29, a good 20+ years ago.
It was hard. I spent ages before I could secure any sort of “regular” income, however modest.
But now, looking back, no matter the hard times, I have zero regret. I built my life as a “self-employed”, earn more than decently, and have found balance in my life.
Remember: the light at the end of the tunnel is not always a high-speed train rushing toward you!
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Jean-François Brouillet
I’ve done the same a few years ago, quitting “without an offer”. I didn’t set up shop, and I was much younger than you are now, but it was the best decision of my life: it led to a much better job which eventually morphed into a nice career. I also have some relatives, though, who weren’t very lucky as business owners, and had to go back to regular jobs; it’s not the end of the world: as long as you can avoid debt (the real problem for self-employed people), you will be fine anyway, and the experience will have taught you a lot and made you much more valuable for any employer anyway.
Good luck!
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Giacomo
Same here.. the only difference is I am 34 and did not resign yet..
Wish you a lot of Luck!!
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Sanju
Fortune favours the brave
best
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Paul
Good luck. I hope you do well.
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by nethy
Good luck! you have guts, hope it goes well for you
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Victo
Good luck, I know you can!
Ps. In the first alinea, line 2 the word “of” has to be “or” I guess
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Pixelpatser
Good luck.
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Francisc
I know how scary this can be. Quitting is the hardest part, so you are over the hump.
Soon you’ll realize you have way more skills than the necessary to pay the bills. Your biggest challenge now will be focusing.
Focus, focus, focus. Don’t listen to people too much, believe in your idea and pursue it. Stay away from HN and TC. Don’t give into the temptations to read blogs, waste time.
Comment left on 9.3.2012 by Bruno Miranda
All the best!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Ravi
Not all people around you were shocked. Me, one of your sisters, wasn’t shocked.
I think it’s the right thing to do: follow your dreams. There are no certainties in life. Even if you have a job, you can lose it. And a mortgage is just a mortgage. It should be there to help you, not to narrow your life.
And your wife CAN work in other countries. She could teach Dutch in South Africa, or other places. Even in Silicon Valley I’m sure she could find something to do.
Think in possibilities!
But you’re already doing that, by quitting and following your own goals. I am a proud sister.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Linda van Leuken
Hey, good luck! Is there a way I can contact you?
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Mike
Hey there, I’m 33 and almost two years ago my partner and I left our jobs (where I had been employed over a decade) to found a small consulting company, taking inspiration from 37 Signals and other small, agile, long-term companies [1]. It was scary for the first 6 months, but things picked up. We are bootstrapping, and while I couldn’t say we’ve achieved success yet, this has been quite a change of pace and worthwhile experience so far.
I wish you the best of luck.
[1] http://www.smallgiantsbook.com
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Aaron
I did exactly the same about a month back and I had the same situation as yours. Let me congratulate you on your decision.
‘Leap of faith’ is important every now and then.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Syed
Good luck. Pretty brave of you making that decision without having something already generating some income already.
My advice to you: Focus, don’t waste a single minute, you have very little time (4-5 months fly)
Also make sure whatever you will build first won’t be ad based (otherwise you will need a massive userbase to survive of clicks), charge for it, a lot of people are willing to pay for great products and services.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Gubatron
I am so proud of you and I know for shure that it will work!!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Tieske
Best of luck! I made a similar decision about 1 1/2 years ago –decided to get out of my comfort zone– and people thought I was mad too
But it had to be done and looking back, I belive I did the right thing.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Phiri
You are a brave not a stupid….Wish you all the very best..
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Nithin
Good luck!
You ARE brave!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by 19th
good luck…
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by ghosh
Congratulations! From the bottom of my heart you’re someone to be admired sir, well done!
I’m in a similar situation, I’ve been in a job I’m not happy with for over a year now, it’s the classic big company with lots of burocratic bullcrap, applying old techniques to rip off clients whenever it’s possible. I feel underused and terrible for being here, I’m feeling I’m starting to get rusty (I’m a front end developer). Like you I’m married, but I’m 28 no kids yet.
I used to freelance back in the day I still lived with my parents and it was the best feeling. I miss it so much.
But the situation in Spain is complicated and i cannot afford to resign, altough I want it, I want it so bad. I want that hacker culture, I want to work to improve our world, to make a difference by hacking the world.
I wish you the best of luck with your new endeavour, please keep posting here your progress, maybe one day i’ll get courage enough to do what you just did.
Respect sir!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by James Creixems
Good luck! There’s always a special place for the brave people like you. I bet there are lots of people envy with your big move!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Kristiono Setyadi
Good luck! I just did the same thing and am also lucky to have a supportive wife. 4 months seems like a short runway but if you can get some small gigs on the side you’ll be fine.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Shane Fulmer
Respect! You feel like many of us but you did what we don’t have the balls to do. You will be fine!!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Hans
Hey,
All the best with your venture. Catch a good idea, catch good people and hope to succeed.
But remember one thing, If you have to fail then fail fast. Failing slow will only eat up your savings and energy.
-Shadab
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Shadab
Every day I keep dreaming about quiting my current job but as the only family supporter with no side income it scares me so much that it still remains as a dream…
… I really admire your courage. Best of luck out there!
Anyone want to hire Rails developer?
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Uģis Ozols
Good Luck!
All the way from Singapore.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by chetan
Good Luck
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Name
Awesome. I’ve been through 2 start-ups of my own, and intend to do a third soon. It’s not always easy sailing, but it’s always, always amazing.
All the best from this corner of the world!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Chris
Congratulations and good luck man !!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Vishal Raj
Good luck!
And being married as well I can definitively feel your pain (and I don’t have kids yet!).
Was different for me since it happened 6 years ago after graduating, but I decided at the time to leave my own comfort zone (friends, family and so on) for something that would hopefully help me become a better and smarter person.
So I went to China
It has been an incredibly rich experience for me, extremely hard but very rewarding at the same time, and now it is starting to truly pay off for me.
Someone said one day: “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone”
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Edmond Maillard
Good luck! I know it’s quite hard to find a Job in the Netherlands because I’m Dutch too. But I admire your discission, I’d like to do it too in a short time.
Really, I’m thinking about it right now. Because the company where I work for, as developer, is going to be bankrupt (sure for 90%).
It gives me a short time to think, and gives me some more time to do actually something.
Please keep blogging about your progress, and maybe we can share thoughts someday
Again, good luck and all the wishes!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Polichism
Dear He-who-knows-himself-well,
Good luck and god speed.
Yours Sincerely, Sam
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Sam Taylor
Hey man, well done! I am about to do the same, I have the same thoughts and felling.
Let me know if you need some help if the projects you are running, I am also in the Netherlands.
Good Luck!!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by renasboy
Best of Luch !
“For 200 miles journey, We need to start from first step … “
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Gurpreet Singh
Awesome!!
I’m 23 and your actions are like an inspiration for me.
I hope even I start my journey like yours soon. Good luck
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Chirag
In the company I currently work for, I see a lot of gray middle-age faces telling me that’s the kind of thing they want to do, but aren’t brave enough to make that step. You did brave guy, I’m sure that kind of energy will get you very far. Good luck Hans!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Claudiu-Vlad Ursache
Best of Luck !
“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step …”
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Gurpreet Singh
I wish you all the best. I did the same thing at the beginning of this year and so far (touch wood) I’ve been much better off — more time, money and general security (I have several clients who always have work, instead of one employer who could lay me off when ever they wanted).
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Matt Stevens
Good for you! I did exactly the same thing last month, although the actual decision was made somewhere in January.
We are very fortunate that we have supportive wives, wouldn’t you say!?
We should be getting that coffee that Erwin twittered about.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Sander Huijsen
I just wondered when I read this, have you read the 4 hour workweek by Tim Ferriss? Because a quarter of the book is dedicated to building low maintenance side projects, and i guess some of the advice in there could come in handy for you.
Also a big recomendation from me (I’m trying to do the same thing by the way) is Perry Marshalls Ultimative Guide to Adwords. It gives a nice overview of what you’ll need to market that course online profitably, and the book is worth its 25 bucks.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Oliver
I’m in almost exactly the same situation. Scarily similar. Also 32. Wife is pregnant with our first baby, due February. And I’ve spent the last few years in the same company, but have reached the point where I want to achieve things that I can’t do where I am. So, I handed in my notice a few weeks ago, and my last day is friday.
On monday, I start down a new road
So I guess I just wanted to say … good luck! And if you find yourself wanting to talk to someone in an almost identical boat, please feel free to drop me a line!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Dave Child
Go get ‘em! I quite my job almost 5 years now and haven’t looked back. It’s not easy and there were a couple sleepless nights for sure – but in the end it’s been an amazing experience.
I’ve now got a small team and a nice office building some amazing products that we want to build.
Best of luck!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by michael sacca
I endorse your wise and brave choice! I’m doing the same: today is my last day at the current job (I’ll blog about this soon). So good luck man!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Luca Guidi
This is very inspiring and brave – good luck!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Suneel Chakravorty
I really do wish you all the best. I’ve thought about this countless times but always found reason not to.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Arthur Hylton
Good luck!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Yang Jian
This is like time travel.
I did exactly this thing about 3 months ago and gave myself about 6 months to figure if I can make something out of this ‘stupid brave’ decision.
You have taken the best possible step. Go relax for a couple of weeks – that helps a lot.
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Nishant M
All the very best to all brave man.
I know only that person can do these kind of thing who is brave and want to achieve something in his life and want to move life according to his mind..
Very Inspiring Move
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Gourav
First off congratulations!
I did the same after an 11 year career at a company i called home since high school. I won’t say the last year has played out how I expected but I would’ve done it over in a heart beat.
Take some time to re-discover who you are and what you want to be now that your previous company is in the rear-view mirror. Dream big and enjoy re-gaining some of the work/life balance. If you stray or get discouraged read a Paul Arden book.
All the Best To You!
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Shawn
My favorite Zen saying applies perfectly here:
“Leap, and the net will appear”.
-P-
Comment left on 9.4.2012 by Paul Horan
Thank you for this post! It only confirmed that I made a right decision myself!
Comment left on 9.5.2012 by Art
Good luck. I hope that I have same brave heart as you.
Comment left on 9.5.2012 by leon
Make sure you don’t go with the hype, and that your decision was indeed based on skills you truly have.
Comment left on 9.5.2012 by Andrei Potorac
Thank you very much for that magnificent article
Comment left on 9.10.2012 by googlepo
Thank you very much for that splendid article
Comment left on 9.11.2012 by How To Make a Cake